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J.IW.: VAUGHN. AUTOMATIC SELLING MACHINE.

No. 407,946. I Patented Jal sog I889.

(No Model.)

(rings-res.-

5 SheetsSheet 2.

-J. W. 'V'AUGHNQ AUIOMATI G SELLING MACHINE;

Pq-tented July 30, 18 89 (No-Model.) v v "5'Shee-ts. Sheet- 4. J. W. VAUGHN. AUTOMATIC SELLING MACHINE.

No. 407,946. Patented Jul s0, 1sjs9',

(No Model.) 5-Sheet s -Sheet J. W. VAUG'HN.

AUTOMATIC SELLING MACHINE. I "No. 407,946 Patented J uI yBO, 1389;

Y we ans-es.

O ceiving'balis B A rope-drumA is fixed on device, parts being in section. Figf5 is a UNITE-1) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. VAUGHN, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERS Y,

AuToMKTm SEL LIN-MAC HINE.

srncrncnmoiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,94 dated. July 30, 1889.:

Application filed July 13, 1888- Serialll'o. 279,905. (No model.)

T0 all whom. it may concern: v Be it known that I, JOHN W. VAUGHN, of Jersey City, county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinAutomaticSelling-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements inthe apparatus known as automatic sellinginachines, and in which goods are automatically delivered in exchange for a coin of certain value placed. in the apparatus by the purchaser. 1 1

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved machine or apparatus of chutefB at right angles to the chute-B and from the lower end of said chute B they this kind, which is so constructed that witha sin gle motor or operating device various, kinds of goods or various goods of the same kind,

but of different values, will be automatically forth hereinafter, andpointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of my im-- proved sellin -machine on the line ,03 Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line w 10, Fig. 1. Fig. 3' is a verticallongitudinal sectional View on the line mm, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the ball releasin g side viewof the parts showninFig. 4, parts being in section. 'Fig. 6 is an elevation of a releasingdevice nade adjustable for differ ent numbers oteoins. Fig. 7 is a side view of the construction shown in Fig. 6, parts be-' ing in section. .Fig. 8. is avertical longitudinal sectional view of the mouth-piece for the sponding parts.

On the shaft A, journaled in the rear wall. of the case or box 'Av and in. a suitable arm.

A the Wheel B is mounted rigidly, which .is provided in its rim with pockets B for rethe shaft A, on which the rope A? is. wound,

and from the same is-suspended a weight'A B and B for the purpose of preventing the balls from dropping'out of the pockets'B'.

The wheel 13 has I parts of its rim surrounded by curved shields,

At the lower end of theshield B the chute B is provided, into which the balls pass as soon as theirpockets arebelow the iower end of the shield B From the chute B the balls passiinto the distance in front of the wheel B, said chute B being provided with a partition B nearits-lower end to prevent the balls rolling out.

From the chute B a series of short guidetubesC project downward at an inclination, their upper ends being so arranged that the balls, when they arrive at said guide-tubes,- can .roll down the same and can drop into a box 0, of which one is provided below each guide-tube, each box being provided at its bottom with an outlet-tube C for conducting the-ball into a chute C ,;located below the chute B and inclined in opposite direction.

From the lower endof the chute (3 the balls pass into the chute O and from the lower end of the same through a chute C into the chuteCZ'the lower end of which is adjacent to the bottom part of the wheel B, so that said balls can passfrom the chute C""into the pockets 3.

it is necessary that the wheel B shall be rotated the distance of one pocket every timea ball drops into the chute C the weight .acte

ingonthe rope-drum on the shaft A of the I v wheel B furnishing the necessary power for rotating said wheel and elevating the balls. As the balls pass through the chute C they act upon the arms of the spider-wheel C projecting into said chute, which spider-' v wheel C is connected with the wheel Ci-hav- H ing'pin's -0 that'act onthe lower end-of the pawl 0 the upper end of which, engages front of the front guide-roller D the inclined engaged from one tooth of the ratchet-wheel C and permit thewheel B to rotate the, distance of one pocket. there being as many teeth in the ratchet-wheel O as there are po'ckets'B' in the wheel B.

I have shown three guide-tubes 0 connected with the chute B but, if desired, only one such guide-tube, or two, or more than three, may be provided, according to the various different kinds of articles to be sold by the machine, or according to the various goods of the same kind' of article to besold'by the machine. For each outlet-tube C on the chute B I provide a coin-chute and ball-releasing device operated by the coin passing through the coin-chute, and for each outlettube 0 a separate delivery-chain is to be provided, only one of which is shown, each of which chains is operated by a separate weight mechanism whenever a coin has been dropped or placed into the corresponding coin-chute, and also a separate outlet for the article delivered by each chain. As all the chains are alike and each chain is provided with acoin-chute-releasing device, &c., I will describe one only. meeting-band D 'are passed over a series of polygonal sprocket-rollers Diin differentparts of the casing, as shown inYFig. 1.

The sprocket-rollers D at the front of the boxes are each provided with a drum E, upon which a rope E is coiled and passed over guide-pulleys E a weight Erv being suspended from the lower end of said. ropes, and said weight serving to operate or drive the corresponding box-link delivery-chain.

On the outer surface of one polygonal end disk of each front sprocket-roller D an escapement-wheel F is secured, with the teeth of which the escapement-fork F can engage, that is mounted to rock on the shaft F behind said wheel D. Said escapement-fork F has a bent arm F", the lower end of which projects through a slot into the bottom part of the box 0, so that the balls dropping into said box can depress the lower end of said arm F thereby operating the escapement-fo'rk. To insure the quick and rapid operation of the escapement, one shank of the fork is provided with a weight F Diagonally below and in chute G is provided, down which the article delivered slides and is dropped into a trough G on the front of the casing, from which trough it can readily be taken by thepurchaser. The

coins placed into the mouth-piece of the coinchute (that will be described hereinafter) pass through the coin-chute H and drop into the funnel H, from which a chute H leads to the In case the coins deposited by the purchaserfor example, if a cent is deposited in place of a five-cent money drawer or tray H3.

nickel it drops from the chute H into the chute H, and from the same slides through the chute H into thetrough G',the chute H being inclined laterally and provided with a lonzitudinal slot inf as, side,";as. described in The chain D and its convided on the disk 1*.

my application Serial No. 277,087, filed June 14, 1888. J

A lever I is pivoted on each guide-tube C and has one end I curved and projected into the upper end of the chute H the curved end of said lever having about thesame radius as the coin that has to be deposited. On the opposite end of said lever I a toe I is provided that can engage a pin I on the rim of adisk I, mounted on a shaft I-Zj'onrnaled in brackets on the under side of the guidetube C. On said shaft 1 a spider-wheel J is fixed,

which has as many arms J as there are pins I on the rim of the disk I, or in some cases as many arms as there are groups of pinson the rim of said disk I. In case the articles are to cost but a single c0infor instance, a five-cent nickelthe pins 1 are arranged singly on the rim of the disk I; but where.

the article is to cost two or three nickels the pins are arranged in groups of two or three nickels, and so on. ,--The arms J project I through a longitudinal slot in the bottom of the guide-tube Cv into said guide-tube. In some cases it is desirable to have themachinc adjustable, so that it can be made to work for one, two, three, or more nickels. This construction is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, inwhich four circumferential rows of pins I are pro- In one circumferential row the pins are arranged singly, in the next in groups of two, in the next in groups of threes, in the next in groups of fours, and so on..

.The disk and wheel J-are fixed on a sliding sleeve 1 mounted to turn on its shaft and connected with a pivoted shifting-lever 1- the.

upper end of which is provided with a handle I that can be adjusted on a scale 1 (marked 1, 2, 3, 4, &c.,) so that by shifting the upper end of said lever the disk I can be so adjusted that the toe 1 on the inner end of the lever I will be in the path of the cirbum ferential row of pins, having single pins or groups of two or three, as may be desired.

It very frequently occurs that attempts are made to force banana-peels, pieces of paper, and like materials into the coin-chutes; and

to prevent this I have devised a mouth-piece (shown in Figs. 8 and 9) for the coin-chute. The top plate K of said mouthpiece is provided withan opening K, the inner edge of which is of the size of a five-cent nickel and the outer part of which is flared. To the'inner side of said topplate Ka gateLis hinged,-

which is pressed outward and againstthe inner surface :of the top plate by a suitable spring L. Said top plate is provided with three or more radial slots vor notches M, in whichslidingsteel jaws M are pressed against the rim. of the gate bysprings M secured in the shell.v or casing M of the mouth-piece.-

Said, jaws are also provided with bevels M '.above .the' outer surface of the mouth-piece and projecting beyond'the inner edge of the opening K. As the sliding jaws M engage the edges of the gate, they keep said gate is contained within each rests onone of. the arms J roller D closed and preventits being presssed inward. When the coin is placedinto the opening K of the top plateK and pressed toward the upper surface of the gate L, the edges of said coin, acting on the bevels' Mtof the jaws M press said jaws simultaneously in the directionfrom the center of, the mouth-piece,whereby the edges of the gate are disengaged from said jaws, thus permitting the gate to be swung inwardi The coin then slips 0% the gate and drops into the V-shaped guide-chute- N, by which it is placed"- on' edge, and slides from the same to the ,coin -chute Thespring L, which mustfhave more power than the springs M forces the' gate outward and presses its edges against the bottom-bevels M of the jaws M whereby said jaws are pushed back sufiiciently to" permit them to lock the gate L in place. v

The operation is as follows: The box-links D of the chain D arefilled, for exampleflvith cigars, a cigar or a' package of two, three, or more cigars being placed in each box-linlgaccording as a single cigar or a package of V cigars is to be delivered each time a coin is deposited. In case there 'are'three dilferent chains, five-cent cigars could be placed in the box-links of the first chain, te'n cent cigars in the box-links of the second chain, and. a package of five-cent or ten-cent cigars in the box-links of the third chain, and so on, While successively filling the box-links in 'a chain said chain is moved in the direction of, the arrow 06 Fig. 1, whereby the ropes Eare woundupon the drums E, and theweights E are thus raised. All the pockets of the wheel. B are filled with balls, with the exception of those between the bottom of the shield B and the point at which the balls pass-from thechute G into the packets. The chutesB and B are filled with balls, as shown, and a ball guide-tube G and of the spider-wheel J, as shown in Fig. 5. One box-1ink D:projects from the front side of the front guide and contains .a cigar. I The coin deposited slides down the coin-chute H, drops into the funnel H, and strikesupon the curved end Ijof the lever I, whereby said curved end of the lever isde ressed, permitting the coin to. pass and slide own the chuteHH into the coin-drawer H As the curved end I of the lever I descends under the action of the weight of the coin, the toe I on the opposite end is raised, whereby the toe I is disengaged from a pin I permitting the weight of the ball in theupper end of the gnidetube C to rotate the spider-wheel J in the direction of the 'arrow 01?, Fig. 5. The inner end of the lever 1 immediatelydrops,'catches on another pin 1 thLi-s preventing further rotation of said spider-wheel and disk in the direction of the arrow 01:, andthus permitting only that ball that was in the upper end of'the guide-tube C from passing down said guide-tube. A ball 7 then immediately drops from the'lchute B the chain D that has move, whose pins 0? adistance of one chute only,

into. the guide-tube 0,1in which itis held 'Bi slide forward the distance of one ball. The

"ball that has been released from its position in the upper end of the tube 0 drops into the box 0' and strikes .the lower end of the arm F whereby the upper shankof the escape- I mer t-fork F is disengaged from its tooth on the'escap'ement-wheel F, At the same time the lower shank engages the toothof t he es capement-wheel. lower end of the draws down the The ball then slides'off the shanks of the escapementwheel, whereby thelowershank is disengaged shank engages The escapement wheel .and

the sprocket-roller D have meanwhilebee'n .from the escapement-wheel and the upper permitted to rotate the distance ofone' tooth of the escapement-wheel, which is equivalent to the distance of one side of the sprocket-roller. Thereby that box D of V projected horizontally from the front of the roller D onally from said roller, permitting the cigar to slide out of said box into the chute G, and from the same into the trough G.: The ball is brought in such position as to project downward diagthat has dropped into thebox C, after it hasacted upon the arm F 0 into the chute 0 down the same through the chutes C and C strikes the arms of the spiderrwheels C and causing the wheelC to strike thev pawl 0 rolls through the tube whereby the'wheel B: is

pocket B in the direction released and rotated 1 g of the arrow at, Fig. 3, whereby a-ball is released and passes and at the same time a fresh ball passes into one of the bottom pocketsof the wheel B. Every time a nickel is dropped or deposited a ball passesont of one of the pockets of the wheel, operates the device for releasing a 7 chain,

and then passes back intoone of the pockets, it being immaterial whether said-coin; was dropped in the first,second, or third coinch ute; If the coin is dropped in the first cointhe balls in-that part of the chutes B? and B guide-tubeOwill roll forward. In case the coin is dropped in the secondcoin-chute, all the balls in the chutes B and-B between-the,

' thewheelli move second guide-tubeO and forward, and in case. the coin is dropped in into the chutes B and B between the'wheel B and the first IZQ the third coin-chute all the balls in, the chutes B and B between the third guide-tube C and thewheel- B move forward. As stated, the

lever .I descends after a coin has curved end I of said,;lever,-and thus locks the disk 1 in place after-"the same and the spider-. wheel J have turned sufliciently to permit one ball to pass out of the holds good when the pins I are arranged passed the singly on the 'rim of the disk I ,but not when I they are arranged'in groups of two, three, or

80 arm F and the weight F I guide-tube C. This more. For example, if the pins were arranged in groups of two, the descending coin would disengage the toe I from the first pin, butsaid toe would immediately engage the following pin, and thus also the disk I, thespider-wheel- J thereby locking them before the ball in the tube 0 is released. Fol-releasing said ball,

.two coins must be dropped successively into the coin-chute, so that the lever I will be opamountthat is, a single coin of a certain value-the pins I on all the disks I can be arranged singly; but if the articles in the box-links of a certain chain are to be sold for two coins the pins I on the corresponding disk I must be arranged in groups of two.

In place of cigars, packages of cigarettes, chewing-gum, candies, chocolate, ferry-tickets, fruits, or Various articles can be placed into the box-links, which must have corresponding sizes.

. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent? 1. In an'automatic selling-machine, the combination, with a ball-elevator anda motor for operating the same, of .one or more independent box-link chains'for receiving the articles to be delivered by the machine, motors. for moving said box-link chains, and retaining devices for the said motors of the box-link chains, which'retaining devices are to be operated by the balls raised by the ball-elevator, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. In an automatic selling-machine, the combination, with a ball-elevator and a motor for the same, of a box-link chain for receiving the articles to be delivered -by the machine, aniotor for moving said chain, a retaining device for said motor,and a coin-operated ball-retainer,substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In an automatic selling-machin e, the combination,with a ball-elevator and a motor for the same, of a chute into which the balls can pass from the ball-elevator, a ball-outlet tube on said chute, a coin-operated ball-retainer, a box-link chain for receiving the articles to be 7 delivered by the machine, a motor for said chain, and a chain-motor retainer operated by the balls released by the coin-operated ballretainer, substantially as herein shown and described. 4. In an automatic sellingmachine, the combination,with a ball-elevator and a motor for the same, of a chute irito which the balls passfrom the ball-elevator, an on let-tube for the balls on said chute, a coin operated ball-re- I tainer at said outlet-tube, a box below said outlet-tube, abox-link chain for receiving the articles to be delivered by the machine, a motor for said chain, and a retaining-lever for said motor, the ends of said retaining-lever projecting into the box below the ball-outlet tube-on the above-mentioned chute, substantially as herein shown and described.

5. In an automatic selling-machine, the combination, with a ball-elevator and a motor for the same, of a chute into which the balls can pass from the ball-elevator, a'box-link chain for receiving the articles to be delivered by the machine, a motor for said chain, a retaining-lever for said motor, which lever is in the path of the dropping balls, and a chute for conveying the dropped balls back to the ballelevator, substantially asherein shown and described.

- 6. In an automatic selling-machine, the combination, with a box-link chain fo1 receiving the articles to be delivered by the machine, of a series of sprocket-wheels over which said chain passes, a rope-drum on one sprocket-wheel, a rope and weight connected with said drum, an escapement-wheel on said sprocket-wheel, an escapement-fork,

engaged with said escapement-wheel, and a ball-elevator for elevating balls to operate said .escapement-lever, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. In an automatic selling-machine, the combination, with a ball-elevator and a motor for the same, of a chute into which the balls can pass,-a series of ball-outlet tubes on said chute, a spider-wheel at each outlet-tube, levers for locking the spider-wheels, coin-chutes into which said levers project, box-link chains for receiving the articles to be delivered, mo f tors for operating the chains, and retaining-levers for said motors,which retaining-levers are operated by the balls as they drop from the guide-tubes of the chute, substantially as herein shown and described.

8. In an automatic selling-machine, the combination, with a chute, of an outlet-tube, a spider-wheel projecting into the outlet-tube,

a disk on the same shaft with the spiderwheel with pins arranged singly or in groups,

and a coin-actuated lever engaging said pins, substantially as herein shown and described.

9, In an automatic selling-machine, the combination, with a ball-chute, of an outlet-tube on the same, a spider-wheel projecting through a slot of said outletftube, a disk secured on a sleeve mounted to slide on and turn with the shaft of the spider-wheel and having pins arranged singly and in groups in different circumferential rows on its rim, and a coinactuated lever engaging said pins, substau tially as herein shown and described.

10. In an automatic sellingmachine, a mouth-piece for a coin chute constructed with a casing having an opening in its t p plate, sliding springactuated jaws in said top plate, and a spring-actuated gate hinged be 10w said top plate, substantially as herein.

shown and described.

11. In an automatic selling-machine, a

mouth piece fora coin-chute constructed with In testimony that I claim the foregoing as a casing having an opening in its top plate, my invention I have signed my name in presbeveled sliding springs, actuated jaws in the enee of two subscribing witnesses.

edges of said plate, which jaws have'bevels JOHN 'W. VAUGHN. 5 'on their top and bottom edges, and a spring- Witnesses:

actuated gate below said top plate, substan- OSCAR F. GUNZ,

tially as herein shownand described. CARL KARP. 

